Ruine de Rome — Hotel in Saintes

On a Christmas trip to our daughter in Toulouse we stopped overnight in Saintes, well worth a visit with its elegant houses in stone and Gothic cathedral. This B&B charges hotel prices but does not deliver hotel service, alas. ||The shower didn't work, there were no tea/coffee facilities in the room, and there was one bottle of water between two with glass yoghurt-pots for drinking glasses. No TV in the room, which weirdly had a garden table and chairs as its furnishing, together with a tragic IKEA fabric wardrobe.||The 'sitting room' had not a single easy chair but a random collection of dining chairs arranged in a circle, not conducive for sitting. Breakfast was frankly eccentric, lacking the fundamentals of croissant, orange juice or fresh bread. ||The overall impression is of a place being run on a shoestring, with most lights depressingly turned off at night. It's a nice house, and the hostess welcoming enough, but the pricing is completely wrong and should be in the 65 euro range. ||On our next trip south we will return to Saintes, but not to this place, alas. Very...

Loved the warm and friendly service from Francoise (who speaks English) and Roger, who welcomed us and provided us with much helpful information. Our rooms were huge, and the character and charm of the old house, parts of which date back to 17th century, added atmosphere. The bathrooms are separate to the bedrooms, but we had the rest of the wing blocked off so we didn't have to share it with others. In retrospect our party could have shared the bathroom, as we didn't realise it was separate, not in the bedroom, but instead each of our bedrooms had access to its own separate bathroom. ||||The breakfast, with its local specialty pastries, fresh fruit from the market and home-made jams, was delicious. And the location, just next to the Eglise St Pierre, and right next to the main pedestrianised street in the old town, with lots of restaurants, was ideal. Accessible by foot from the train station by a 20-25 min flat walk, or by bus from the station to stop "Théâtre", and a few minutes walk from the bus stop. Highly...

Stayed in Ruine de Rome early June. Not easy to find but worth the effort. Small sign high up on wall, not easily seen. Find the bar and you are there. Mme. Blyne very welcoming and helpful. Had room in the attic - very charming. Breakfast fresh and homely - delicious home made jam and breads. Would definitely stay again. Saintes itself very...